At least 24 people have been confirmed dead and 23 reported missing as the Los Angeles fire continues after a week of firefighting and massive evacuations.
LA Mayor Karen Bass on January 14, 2025, said that urgent preparations are underway, acknowledging a forecast of close hurricane-force winds that could spark new fires across the region.
The National Weather Service warned the weather would be ‘particularly dangerous’ on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, when wind gusts could reach 65 mph (105 kph).
A large part of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge, and Simi Valley.
US President Joe Biden conveyed his sympathies to the affected families and promised that the government will do whatever it takes to help the affected families.
“Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires across Los Angeles. Jill and I pray for them and their loved ones. We are deeply saddened by the devastation caused by the unprecedented ongoing wildfires across Southern California,” Biden said.
Biden mentioned that he was in touch with the team on the ground and has ordered the use of all available resources to contain the situation.
“I am being frequently briefed on intensive efforts to suppress the wildfires across Los Angeles and have directed our team to respond promptly to any request for additional federal firefighting assistance,” Biden stated.
Since January 7, 2025, an ongoing series of 23 catastrophic wildfires have affected the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions.
The fires have destroyed more than 12,000 structures and may be the costliest disaster in US history, according to initial estimates of damage and economic losses exceeding $250bn from Accu Weather.
Authorities investigating the cause of the fire believe it was accidentally started by someone possibly on a hike and was escalated by heavy winds, thus the cause of one of the biggest and costliest fires in history.
